The Mavericks have a roster puzzle to solve, and it starts with a simple problem: they’re carrying 16 players on standard contracts and have to trim to 15 before the regular season. That deadline is still a long way off, which gives Dallas room to get creative.
One idea floating around would send Dallas a perimeter defender it badly needs while also helping with its frontcourt logjam. In this version of the deal, the Mavericks would land Jrue Holiday, along with a 2029 first-round pick lottery-protected, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick.
The full three-team structure would look like this:
Dallas Mavericks receive: Jrue Holiday, 2029 first-round pick lottery-protected (second-best pick of Utah, Minnesota, and Cleveland, from Utah), 2028 second-round pick (via NYK, from UTA), 2029 second-round pick (via IND, from POR), 2030 second-round pick (via LAC, from UTA)
Utah Jazz receive: Daniel Gafford
Portland Trail Blazers receive: P.J. Washington, Brice Sensabaugh, John Konchar
For Dallas, the appeal is obvious. Holiday would step in as an immediate upgrade at shooting guard and address the team’s biggest defensive need: point-of-attack defense. The risk is just as clear, though, because his contract is heavy - $34.8 million this season and a player option worth $37 million next year.
The Mavericks’ roster crunch is part of why a deal like this even makes sense. They’re overloaded in the frontcourt, and the addition of Zaccharie Risacher this weekend, after sending Ryan Nembhard out for him, only adds to the crowd. Dallas also needs to make room for players like Risacher and 9th overall pick Morez Johnson Jr., while still trying to add future draft capital and some backcourt help.
Daniel Gafford is one of the names in the middle of that logjam, but the idea of getting an unprotected first-round pick for either Gafford or P.J. Washington is described as unrealistic under the new lottery rules. Washington, meanwhile, is viewed as the best player in that forward group next to Flagg and also the second-highest-paid player on the roster.
Utah would be the center-needy team in this setup. The Jazz let Walker Kessler go to the Los Angeles Lakers for two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps, then watched him sign for four years, $130 million.
That leaves Utah with Jusuf Nurkic, Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba at center, and Gafford would be a clear upgrade over all three. To get him, they’d send out a 2029 lottery-protected first and a collection of second-round picks.
Portland is the third piece because it has the salary flexibility to help the trade work. The Blazers are crowded in the backcourt after trading for Ja Morant this offseason, with Damian Lillard set to return from his Achilles tear and Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Vit Krejci also in the mix at point guard. Even if Portland imagines a starting backcourt of Lillard and Morant, there still wouldn’t be much room for Henderson to grow or for Holiday to finish his career the way he likely wants.
In this framework, Portland gets P.J. Washington, Brice Sensabaugh and John Konchar.
Washington would help fill the hole left by the Morant deal and could start over Toumani Camara. Sensabaugh and Konchar would give the Blazers more shooting, which matters after they finished 28th in three-point percentage last year and then added Morant.
The exact pick compensation could be adjusted, since Utah has more draft capital to spare and the Mavericks could potentially get another second-rounder from Portland instead. But the core idea stays the same: Dallas gets the defensive guard it needs, Utah gets a center, and Portland uses its backcourt surplus to add shooting and a frontcourt piece.
If this version came together, Dallas’ depth chart would look like this:
PG: Kyrie Irving, Sergio De Larrea, Marcus Sasser
SG: Jrue Holiday, Max Christie, Klay Thompson
SF: Cooper Flagg, Tarik Biberovic, Caleb Martin
PF: Naji Marshall, Santi Aldama, Zaccharie Risacher
C: Dereck Lively II, Morez Johnson Jr., Moussa Cisse
The wings would be interchangeable, and Johnson and Aldama could both play center, which would give the Mavericks a flexible, if crowded, group. Portland would end up at 16 contracts after the deal, but Vit Krejci’s deal is fully non-guaranteed until August 1st and only $250k becomes guaranteed after that, while Micah Potter’s contract doesn’t become guaranteed until January 10th. Either one could be waived to get the Blazers compliant.
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For a team that has been working with limited assets, landing a former No. 1 pick like Risacher looked like the kind of swing that requires both conviction and creativity. Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz helped steer the process, and Oklahoma Citys role was essential in giving Dallas a path Atlanta would accept, even as the Mavericks continue to operate with a thin stash of picks and the possibility that more roster pieces may eventually be needed to restock it. [Read more 🡒]